Adventure Gamers - Forums

Have you ever thought about the underlying political themes and implications of adventure games? I am relatively a new player but from what I played, I got the impression that these games can have a rather problematic point of view about some non-Western peoples, working class and ocassionally homosexuals and blacks. The examples I can give are Broken Sword, Syberia, Jack Orlando and Runaway. I do not claim that they are purely sexist, classist or racist, but they often rely on stereotypes. I wonder what would you say about it.

This was one of my favorite threads in the old forums

rustyiron - 15 February 2013 11:46 AM

Have you ever thought about the underlying political themes and implications of adventure games? I am relatively a new player but from what I played, I got the impression that these games can have a rather problematic point of view about some non-Western peoples, working class and ocassionally homosexuals and blacks. The examples I can give are Broken Sword, Syberia, Jack Orlando and Runaway. I do not claim that they are purely sexist, classist or racist, but they often rely on stereotypes. I wonder what would you say about it.

There is a lot of stereotype-mongering in the first two Broken Sword and in the three Runaway games but I find it mostly harmless (if not 100% PC) fun (with Runaway’s Joshua being one exception). In fact, that’s where a good chunk of the humor in those games comes from. And these are mostly national stereotypes (e.g. “the French gendarmes are lazy”) and crude character stereotypes symptomatic of the poor writing in the Runaway games (the prototypical Nerd, Hot Chick, Hacker, Army Man etc etc).

So, please, do explain which AGs have offensive stereotypes based on sexual preferences, ethnicity, or class! I, for one, definitely don’t see the two Syberias fitting in there.

Firstly, I agree what Timovie man said, other genres have a worse record, especially when one remembers the likes of GTA, Call of duty or Red Alert.

I think I sholud make myself clear. For Broken Sword, most of the Syrians were absent-minded and almost all of the working class characters were rude and irrational machos, English were arrogant. While playing Syberia, I felt as if I was in the Cold War age, the evil and bad intent attributions to USSR are reproduced here. For Runaway, the stereotype that says “all gays think about is sexuality” is repeated in a really unlaughable way. One should add Art of Murder which portrays Native Americans as headhunting barbarians.

I might be a bit over-sensitive in this case as a psychology student who is interested with intergroup relations and class analysis and I myself an Asian (which explains my lack of English talent). However I think an adventure gamer is, or should be, more intellectual than the average gamer, the same thing can be said for games, too. Thus developers should be careful and aware of games’ content and its impact.

I usually get turned off at political stuff in adventure games.

A perfect example is A Mind Forever Voyaging. Terrific game, innovative, and dealt with some heady themes, but the political overtones were so childish. They basically made it seem like if a republican got elected the world would turn into a post-apocalyptic hellscape in 20 years’ time. It was like a Rick Perry ad in reverse. I’m a liberal, too, but it just seemed stupid and was a major stain on an otherwise great game.

I think the better works (be they games or another media) are those that provoke questions, not those that try to impose their belief system on you.

Frogacuda - 15 February 2013 06:51 PM

I usually get turned off at political stuff in adventure games.

A perfect example is A Mind Forever Voyaging. Terrific game, innovative, and dealt with some heady themes, but the political overtones were so childish. They basically made it seem like if a republican got elected the world would turn into a post-apocalyptic hellscape in 20 years’ time. It was like a Rick Perry ad in reverse. I’m a liberal, too, but it just seemed stupid and was a major stain on an otherwise great game.

I think the better works (be they games or another media) are those that provoke questions, not those that try to impose their belief system on you.

I didn’t get that feeling from AMFV, although it’s been a while since I have played it. I would put it in the same category as George Orwell’s 1984, having a political theme but being universally applicable and not limited to any specific time, place or political party.

rustyiron - 15 February 2013 05:14 PM

Firstly, I agree what Timovie man said, other genres have a worse record, especially when one remembers the likes of GTA, Call of duty or Red Alert.

It’s a logical fallacy to think that since something is better than something else that it is therefore good. It’s a basic straw man people use to divert criticism of whatever it is they are defending. The adventure genre should be judged on its own merits or lack thereof and comparisons to anything else are ultimately irrelevant and irrational.

As for adventure games, they are almost entirely made by white people and hence depictions of black people are often racist and/or stereotypical. Black males are most often depicted in token roles associated with violence and/or crime (Security guards, bouncers, judges, cops, soldiers, gang members, drug users or dealers, etc.). If the connection to violence or crime isn’t there, then they are almost always blue collar workers. It is extremely rare to see a black person depicted as erudite, intelligent, successful and non-violent.

I’m sure someone will just try and say that this is a reflection of reality, but even if this perception is correct, the fact is that developers are more than willing to bend reality to make their average white characters somehow miraculously save the world, universe or whatever and get the guy/girl at the end, but are somehow rarely able to equally bend reality and make black men anything other than what they perceive them to be in the real world.

Adventure games are also quite patriarchal and misogynist which is hardly surprising given that almost all the developers are male, but that is another discussion.

Oscar - 15 February 2013 08:48 PM

Frogacuda - 15 February 2013 06:51 PM

I usually get turned off at political stuff in adventure games.

A perfect example is A Mind Forever Voyaging. Terrific game, innovative, and dealt with some heady themes, but the political overtones were so childish. They basically made it seem like if a republican got elected the world would turn into a post-apocalyptic hellscape in 20 years’ time. It was like a Rick Perry ad in reverse. I’m a liberal, too, but it just seemed stupid and was a major stain on an otherwise great game.

I think the better works (be they games or another media) are those that provoke questions, not those that try to impose their belief system on you.

I didn’t get that feeling from AMFV, although it’s been a while since I have played it. I would put it in the same category as George Orwell’s 1984, having a political theme but being universally applicable and not limited to any specific time, place or political party.

But it’s not, because unlike 1984, it doesn’t just show the result, it ties it all into a cause, and traces it over the decades, and that cause is a Reagan-like character being elected it President. It really isn’t ambiguous, and it doesn’t do a good job of connecting the future results to the present day causes. The feeling of cause and effect is very poor.

thejobloshow - 15 February 2013 08:24 PM

Uh oh, are you going to make me feel guilty for playing the Leisure Suit Larry alpha?

I really don’t feel like Larry is a game designed around misogyny or male fantasies. The character is pathetic, and the whole game is very deliberately cornball. It’s like the Neil Hamburger of comedic adventures. It’s (intentionally) so awful it’s funny. It’s not Duke Nukem.

I am quite surprised to see that people have identified so many negative stereotypes in AGs. Maybe I am insensitive to those since I check all the boxes of privilege: white, male, straight, Western, educated etc. I will try to be more cognizant of those things as I play but it’s also so hard to take games too seriously either way.

Frogacuda - 15 February 2013 11:27 PM

But it’s not, because unlike 1984, it doesn’t just show the result, it ties it all into a cause, and traces it over the decades, and that cause is a Reagan-like character being elected it President. It really isn’t ambiguous, and it doesn’t do a good job of connecting the future results to the present day causes. The feeling of cause and effect is very poor.

I disagree. AMFV shows the effects of a pure populist being elected into office - not necessarily a Republican, or a Democrat. (The fact that Reagan was himself quite the populist doesn’t really factor into it.) And I think it does a great job of tracing out the cause-effect path over the five decades of Rockvil’s decay.

At least, that’s how I remember reading it back in the day. I should consider replaying it one of these days…